TOQUERVILLE – One person is dead and one was transported to the hospital Monday morning after the black Chevrolet Blazer they were in went off a dirt road and into a ravine near Toquerville Falls recreation area sometime during the night.

Vehicle at the bottom of ravine near Toquerville Falls; crash involved one fatality and one survivor, Toquerville area, Utah, June 8, 2015 | Photo by Sheldon Demke, St. George News

Emergency responders were dispatched to the area of Spring Drive, a dirt road between state Route 17 and Toquerville Falls, after a call for help came in sometime after 6 a.m. Monday, Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Brock Bentley said. The Sheriff’s Department cites the location of the crash at GPS coordinates 37.293000 -113.257600.

The male driver, 21-year-old Mark James Wyler, from St. George, called 911 to report that he had rolled his vehicle, and that his girlfriend might be deceased, a statement issued by the Sheriff’s Office around 12:30 p.m. said.

When deputies arrived, they found that 20-year-old Cierra Perez, from Santa Clara, had died of injuries in the accident. Search and Rescue volunteers assisted in recovering her body from the bottom of the ravine.

Wyler was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Bentley said, and confirmed the crash had occurred sometime during the night. Wyler’s injuries were not life-threatening.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, investigators do not believe those involved in the crash were wearing seat belts.

The vehicle went off a cliff about 200 feet from the road, the statement said, and about 100 feet down in rugged terrain.

Vehicle recovery was ongoing throughout the morning. Winder Towing undertook the effort first using a winch from an old Suzuki off-road type vehicle to attempt to extract the vehicle from the canyon, then brought in a heavier tow truck to continue the effort. Although the cable either came loose or snapped around 10:40 a.m., the Blazer was out of the canyon and on the road for tow by 12:15 p.m.

Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Utah Highway Patrol, assisting, are continuing to investigate the cause of the accident and whether alcohol played a role.

About Toquerville Falls

For illustration purposes only, map of approximate location of emergency response June 8 to report of a vehicle accident between state Route 17 and Toquerville Falls in the Toquerville area, Utah, June 8, 2015 | Map courtesy of Google Maps, St. George News

Toquerville Falls is a popular swimming and recreation area located on LaVerkin Creek. The falls are 5.8 miles from the City of Toquerville on a rough dirt track.

This report includes preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

This is a developing story and may be updated as further details emerge.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.

For illustration purposes only, map of approximate location of emergency response June 8 to report of a vehicle accident between state Route 17 and Toquerville Falls in the Toquerville area, June 8, 2015 | Map courtesy of Google Maps, St. George News

Vehicle at the bottom of ravine near Toquerville Falls; crash involved one fatality and one survivor, Toquerville area, Utah, June 8, 2015 | Photo by Sheldon Demke, St. George News

Responders removing vehicle from bottom of ravine near Toquerville Falls, Utah, June 8, 2015 | Photo submitted, St. George News

Responders removing vehicle from bottom of ravine near Toquerville Falls, Utah, June 8, 2015 | Photo submitted, St. George News

Vehicle at the bottom of ravine near Toquerville Falls; crash involved one fatality and one survivor, Toquerville area, Utah, June 8, 2015 | Photo by Sheldon Demke, St. George News

UHP on Spring Drive, between state Route 17 and Toquerville Falls, in response to report of a fatal accident in the Toquerville area, Utah, June 8, 2015 | Photo by Nataly Burdick, St. George News

Responders removing vehicle from bottom of ravine near Toquerville Falls, Utah, June 8, 2015 | Photo submitted, St. George News

Crossroads of state Route 17 and Spring Drive, which leads to Toquerville Falls. Toquerville, Utah, June 8, 2015 | Photo by Sheldon Demke, St. George News

Vehicle at the bottom of ravine near Toquerville Falls; crash involved one fatality and one survivor, Toquerville area, Utah, June 8, 2015 | Photo by Sheldon Demke, St. George News

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

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About the Author

Nataly Burdick moved to Hurricane when she was 5 and has lived in Southern Utah ever since. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a bachelor’s degree in communication with a journalism emphasis in 2015. She got her start in journalism when she started copy editing for SUU’s University Journal and her editors threw her into writing stories. She has loved reporting ever since. Nataly’s favorite thing about journalism is learning about all kinds of new subjects and meeting new people. She enjoys learning new skills in her free time, especially learning how to play new instruments, though she mostly only knows how to play any of them at a beginning level. She loves to hear herself talk and has taken it upon herself to learn as many languages as she can so she can hear herself talk more exotically. She is currently fluent in Spanish and working on learning French.

2 Comments

It is easy to only make comments that are critical and to let it slip when a word of praise is due. I just want to say that this article was well written, is complete, and contains appropriate and helpful imagery.